Drug-induced sensory hair cell death is a preventable cause of sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular toxicity. The objectives of this research are to better understand the cellular events involved in drug mediated hair cell death and to test if the zebrafish lateral line can be used as a model to predict ototoxicity. The sequence of cellular events leading to hair cell death or survival in the lateral line of zebrafish will be investigated using in vivo time-lapse fluorescence imaging and TEM ultrastructural analysis. Differences in mechanotransduction-dependent activity and aminoglycoside entry will be assayed in hair cells. The utility of this model to predict hair cell death will be determined, with a long-term goal of establishing a system for pre-clinical assessment of drugs. [unreadable] [unreadable]